Saudi Arabia presents Austal cats to Egypt

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has welcomed the delivery of its two Austal-built 88 m high speed vehicle-passenger catamarans, "Riyadh" and "Cairo" during a handover ceremony in Jeddah attended by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak.

Ordered by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance in 2007, the vessels are a gift to the Egyptian Government, and will assist in improving the standard of ferry services across the Red Sea.

Operating on a 100 nautical mile route between Dibba in Saudi Arabia and Safaga in Egypt, the vessels are intended for pilgrims travelling to Mecca, Egyptian workers travelling to and from Saudi Arabia as well as business and leisure travellers.

Each vessel carries 1,200 passengers, 120 cars and 15 trucks, The catamarans recorded impressive service speeds of 37 knots during recent sea trials, three knots in excess of contract requirements.

The car deck features both port and starboard mezzanine levels that can be lifted for truck and bus access. With an open bow above the forward turning area, the aft loading point features combined vehicle and passenger ramps for quick deployment and retrieval, enabling fast port turnarounds.

Passenger seating is situated on a spacious upper deck with panoramic window views, with a private VIP cabin offering exclusive views from the vessel's bow.

Austal's Director -- Global Sales and Marketing, Andrew Bellamy, said the vessels drew on Austal's extensive experience with similar high speed vehicle ferries, many of which have been proven in operation throughout the Middle East region.

"Based on an existing Austal design and optimized to suite specific customer requirements, these vessels will be a valuable asset to the Middle East region, providing an improved transportation service across the Red Sea," he noted.

"This significant delivery brings the total number of Austal vessels operating in the Middle East to 18, as well as 10 in nearby Turkey, underlining our commitment to the unique needs of the region," he said.

Both ferries made the 15-day, 5,700 nautical mile journey from Western Australia to Jeddah, via the Maldives and the Gulf of Aden, on their own power. Each vessel is powered by four MTU 20V 8000 Series diesel engines producing 4 x 7,200kW and driving Kamewa waterjets.

Construction is continuing on an additional two 69 m vehicle-passenger catamarans at Austal's Western Australian shipyard, which are to be owned and operated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.